The Beach Vacation Blog » panama city beach

30A ~ A Music Lovers Highway!!!

Garrett Realty Services — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:01:19 +0000

30A Songwriters Festival is back by popular demand and only a week away! Voted in 2011 as the hottest Annual Event on 30A, this year over 125 songwriters are ready to turn up the heat for 2012. From January 13^th- 15^th, you can enjoy three full days of folk, country, rock, and alternative music along the beautiful beaches of South Walton, Highway 30A.

Venues vary from intimate settings to open air amphitheaters and include 30A hot spots such as: Gulf Place Amphitheatre, Naked Grape, First Note Music Hall in Blue Mountain Beach, and Bud & Alley’s in Seaside. Performances by The Bangles, Rodney Crowell, Shawn Mullins, Matthew Sweet, Indigo Girls, Joan Osborne, and so many more. Truly a world class event of amazing performances at one of the most beautiful spots in the Country!

For a full list of artists and venues or ticket information visit www.30asongwritersfestival.com. Need accommodations, call Garrett Realty Services @ 1-800-537-5387

A Holiday on South Walton Beaches!!

Garrett Realty Services — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 01:01:27 +0000

There is no better place to be this holiday season than at the beach! This Florida girl’s idea of a white Christmas includes walking in the snow-like sand of South Walton Beaches with my bare feet — where the temperatures are in the mid-to-high 60’s and wearing a scarf and boots never cross my mind!

Along with beautiful beaches that can be enjoyed all year round comes a calendar full of holiday happenings. On specific evenings throughout the week you can find lots of great events and activities going. For instance, try visiting the Seaside Amphitheatre for an outdoor concert under the stars. These concerts feature performances from talented, local musicians. They are free and open to the public. Included in the festivities are outside holiday movies on the big screen, visits with Santa, Art-Walks, and New Year’s Celebrations.

For those who don’t mind the cold, WaterColor presents The Polar Bear Dip. Take the plunge into 2012, on January 1^st at 8:00AM. Meet at the WaterColor Beach Club as you join the other daring dippers into the brisk waters of the Gulf of Mexico — guaranteed to wake you up no matter how hard you partied on New Year’s Eve!

The Beaches of South Walton are made up of 15 beach neighborhoods. Each one with its own unique flare and famous celebrations that call me home for the holidays. Why not make it yours this year?

Sunsets from our Back Yards!!

Garrett Realty Services — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:25:01 +0000

Our sunsets aren’t the only reason to visit our wonderful Paradise!!!

Come Rent & Relax along Scenic 30-A with Garrett Realty Services, Inc.

Vision Airlines’ flight plan: Bargain airfares to Florida

Garrett Realty Services — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 23:39:08 +0000

Vision Airlines, a company that started by giving tours of the Grand Canyon, will begin offering commercial flights to 20 U.S. cities on Tuesday, promising to save vacationers time and money on getaways to Florida.

Vision says fares, some initially as low as $49 one way, will go on sale Tuesday for trips between the beach communities of northwest Florida and such cities as Baton Rouge, Knoxville, Tenn., and Little Rock starting March 25.

Flights aimed at business travelers shuttling between Louisville and Atlanta began Dec. 13, while service between northwest Florida and Miami and Niagara Falls, N.Y., launched Dec. 17.

The carrier, based in Suwanee, Ga., is taking a page from the playbook of Allegiant, one of the most profitable airlines in the country, by flying non-stop from smaller cities to tourist spots and offering vacationers one-stop shopping by selling packages that include everything from the hotel room to the rental car.

“If Allegiant Airlines is Coke, then there’s always got to be a Pepsi,” says David Meers, Vision’s COO. “Our goal is not to take over the aviation industry. It’s not to go out and try to poke the large carriers in the eye. We believe there’s a niche available in the marketplace to provide … packages to consumers at discounted prices.”

Low fares, non-stop service and large jets — perks more often enjoyed by fliers through major hubs — will be key, Meers says.

“We’ll be flying from cities that have been neglected by large carriers with large aircraft for a number of years,” Meers says, adding that many visitors to the tourist hubs of Destin and Fort Walton Beach in northwest Florida often drive to avoid connecting flights and high fares.

“It opens up the ability for people from all these communities to not only go as they normally would (but) to go more frequently,” he says.

Vision’s entry into commercial passenger service comes as the airline industry is starting to climb back to profitability after skyrocketing fuel prices and the economic downturn that caused leisure and business travelers to cut back on flying.

Still, airline analyst Mike Boyd says that Vision is carving out good turf. “They’re not going into business to meet pent-up demand, they’re going into places to provide a product that wasn’t there before,” Boyd says. “It’s an entirely different business than an airline, but I think it’s going to be a very successful one, as Allegiant has been. They’re creating their own business, a low-cost, high-value vacation to the Florida Gulf Coast.”

Vision started in 1994, operating tours of the Grand Canyon with small planes, and grew into a charter service for celebrities and others.

But it’s long been a goal to become a full-service travel company that offers commercial flights and other packaged travel services, Meers says.

Vacation packages should be available on Vision’s website in the next 60 days, he says. And in the next three years, “It’s realistic to expect we’d add cities out West … and we’ll look at the Caribbean and Mexico.”

Some smaller airports are welcoming the new service, seeing it as a way to boost Gulf Coast tourism, which dipped after the BP oil spill last year, and to get travelers who would usually drive to take to the air instead.

Vision’s non-stop service could even help Florida residents traveling within the state, such as those who now take a connecting flight or drive seven hours from the Destin area to get to Tampa, says Greg Donovan, director for the Northwest Florida Regional Airport in Fort Walton Beach.

“The communities that they’re going to be flying to are difficult to get to via hub connections,” says Donovan, who adds that fares on larger carriers such as Delta and US Airways are often more than vacationers want to pay. “I think it’s going to bring back many people we’ve lost to driving,” Donovan says.

Some airports are waiving fees for Vision and helping to promote its new service.

Northwest Florida Regional will waive Vision’s landing fees and terminal rent for two years, as well as spend tens of thousands of dollars on marketing efforts in targeted communities.

Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, which will see non-stop service to and from Orlando Sanford International, as well as Northwest Florida Regional, which serves the Fort Walton Beach-Destin area, is also waiving some fees and tapping funds for new air service.

“We all try to secure low-cost carriers for our community,” Anthony Marino, Baton Rouge’s airport director, says of small and midsize airports. “The competition it creates in the market helps us when we’re dealing with (legacy) carriers like American and Continental and US Airways.”

Vision will continue to separately offer tours and chartered flights. That diversification, along with the vacation packages it sells, should create a healthy revenue stream, Meers says.
Source: USA Today

20th Annual Seeing Red Wine Festival

Garrett Realty Services — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 20:34:31 +0000

DATE: 11/04/2010

TOWN: Seaside

Set during one of the prettiest seasons on the Emerald Coast, the 20th Annual Seeing Red Wine Festival will feature hundreds of wines from around the world November 4-7, 2010.

In conjunction with Taste of The Beach, the main tasting on Saturday is often described as the perfect afternoon. Wine enthusiasts stroll through tasting areas, sampling a wonderful selection of wines.

Each setting also features world-class music. Intimate lectures and tastings with featured guest winemakers, dinners, and reserve wine tastings are all part of the festivities. Special packages are available in the award-winning town of Seaside for accommodations during the festival.

Thursday, Nov. 4: Winemaker Dinner
Bud & Alley’s 7PM

Friday, Nov. 5: Al Fresco Wine Walkabout
Ruskin Place 6-8PM
$145/person (866) 976-7990

Saturday, Nov. 6: Seeing Red Grand Tasting
Seaside 1-5PM
$120/person (866) 976-7990

Sunday, Nov. 7: Champagne Brunch
Great Southern Cafe 11AM

Southwest Airlines heads to Northwest, FL

Garrett Realty Services — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:44:51 +0000

Southwest leads the way to economic growth

By SCARLET SIMS | News Herald Writer Florida Freedom Newspapers

2009-10-29 21:56:15

SANDESTIN — Capturing Southwest Airlines as the low-cost carrier at the new international airport is just the beginning of boosting Northwest Florida’s economy, local leaders said Thursday.

“The next decade is going to be our decade,” said Janet Watermeier, Bay County Economic Development Alliance executive director. “Never have the global opportunities for Northwest Florida been greater.”

During the second annual Fall Leadership Summit, a daylong conference in Sandestin, hundreds of businesspeople and local leaders talked about working together to grow the economy.

Southwest Airlines announced earlier this month its plans to begin serving the new Northwest Florida-Panama City International Airport in May. The decision remains the talk among leaders.

Southwest hopes to expand the Panhandle’s tourism industry exponentially by convincing people who might drive to Northwest Florida to fly instead, said keynote speaker Bob Montgomery, Southwest’s vice president of properties.

Southwest is known for its low airfare. Northwest Florida has some of the highest fares in the region, but those are expected to drop when Southwest begins selling tickets in December. Low prices create a demand and that means more people will come to Northwest Florida, Montgomery said.

Other carriers will consider the new airport, said Cynthia Kennedy, Walton Area Chamber of Commerce member.

Airport Executive Director Randy Curtis said plans for the airport include construction to accommodate cargo planes. The airport also hopes to draw international travelers, Curtis said.

“It will take the entire region to make it work,” said Jerry Ray, a St. Joe Co. vice president. “What Southwest does for us is provide a global network.”

St. Joe is the major property holder in Northwest Florida and a major partner with Southwest. The company agreed to repay Southwest should the airline lose money during the first three years of operation at the new airport.

Southwest looked at serving the entire region when the company chose Bay County’s new airport, Montgomery said. Talks with the other regional airports, such as the one in Pensacola, will continue, but Southwest plans to focus on Bay County, he said.

Keynote speaker Brian Wilson said the airport and Southwest offer a golden opportunity to the region. Wilson is a veteran reporter for Fox News and part-time area resident.

“I believe that this particular part of the Florida Panhandle is poised for great things in the not-so-distant future,” Wilson said. “This is the right place, and the right time is just around the corner. The world is about to beat a path to your door.”

__________________________________________________________________

Garrett Realty Services main office and all of our Vacation Beach Rentals are only 30 minutes from the new airport. Southwest Airlines tickets to & from the new airport will go on sale early December, 09. For more information about booking a vacation with us, call 1-800-537-5387 or visit us on-line @ www.garrettrealty.com.

PIER PARK – Perfect Shopping Excursions!

Garrett Realty Services — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:56:01 +0000

Pier Park in Panama City Beach

Whether you are on vacation with the family for a Spring break or in town with some friends for a quick weekend, be sure to visit the newest shopping extravaganza on the Emerald Coast – Pier Park in Panama City Beach. Just a scenic jaunt down 30A, then a few more miles east on highway 98 … Pier Park is a beach shopping experience with all of your favorite outlet shops from Destin, as well as boutiques, your favorite luxury chains and more!

Great dining is available as well, from casual beach dining to cuisine from all over the world you can keep up the energy with a quick bite or a relaxing meal. Margaritaville offers an outdoor dining deck with a perfect view of the gulf and a great spot for people watching! Cuisine is beach casual with an extensive list of mixed drinks and beers on tap. Prices are fairly reasonable for the view. The Cheeseburger was sensational as was the Caribbean Chicken Salad!

Pier Park is located on Front Beach road in Panama City Beach and is about fifteen minutes from any of the fabulous Santa Rosa Beach rentals by Garrett Realty Services.